R – Artists

Biography

One of Detroit's best kept secrets, Rick Wade has been producing late night tracks and tapping into the essence of deepness since '91. Known for their universal appeal and appearing on over 20 different labels worldwide, soulful, timeless grooves are his signature. Rick Wade began DJing in the mid ' Read more

One of Detroit's best kept secrets, Rick Wade has been producing late night tracks and tapping into the essence of deepness since '91. Known for their universal appeal and appearing on over 20 different labels worldwide, soulful, timeless grooves are his signature. Rick Wade began DJing in the mid '80's spinning classic disco and deep house material. Growing up in Buchanan MI, 1 hour outside of Chicago he was influenced by Chicago radio station WBMX and the Salsoul material and local stations that played the likes of Al Green and Isaac Hayes. Rick remembers:"I've always been into the music first. I loved the way they (WBMX) would blend two songs together and make it sound like one. I didn't even know what a DJ was back then. I just wanted to blend songs together...When I went to the record store those songs were only available on 12" vinyl, then I needed turntables to play them and then I needed a mixer if I wanted to blend them... At parties I had the records and I had the turntables so I became the DJ almost by default."
While attending the University of Michigan, Wade had the first house mix show on the college station WCBN called 'Journey to the Land of House'. Other presenters were impressed with his material and mixing skills and soon asked him to prepare mixes for their own shows. Some time around 1991 Rick was working on a mix for Brendan Gillen's 'Crush Collision' show and ran out of tracks that he wanted to include. Having produced hip-hop since the late 80s Wade turned to his studio to create a track that would fit the mix perfectly and hasn't looked back since. In 1993 Rick and Dan Bell started Harmonie Park to release house material and in 1995 Rick started another label Bass Force primarily as an outlet for the Booty / Bass material that he records under the 'Big Daddy Rick' moniker.
Today, Rick Wade enjoys a reputation as one of the premier House mixshow producers in the world and anyone who likes deep, funky vibes should definitely find a chance to see him play live. Every Rick Wade set is fresh and spontaneous. Drawing its energy directly from the unique vibe of each party, Rick exposes the deepness to the crowd, taking the vibe to an emotional peak where it merges with the body, mind, and spirit into a continuous musical orgasm that lasts long after his set is over.
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